A Rose by Any Other Name…

‘‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, retain that dear perfection which he owes
without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that name which is no part of thee. Take all myself.’’ William Shakespeare ~ Romeo & Juliet

Meaning: What matters is what we are, not what we are called.

NASA Rose: The stellar nursery Carina...

It seems like only yesterday, rather than almost one year, that Rose Casanova and I connected in the blogosphere; somewhere between Problogger’s31 Day Blogging Challenge and Twitter. If my mind serves me well, Rose and I had tentatively discussed a guest writer feature and a collaboration of sorts but time and life interrupted our plans.

As serendipity would have it, love called her in the form of John and … Rose moved to New York. Recently, she stopped by my blog to say hello and voila! I am delighted to feature the warm, gracious and adventurous Rose Casanova as our interviewee. Rose is a writer, a blogger/owner of What’s your Plaza?, an all around humanist and a life enthusiast. In her many other incarnations, she has been a bartender, personal assistant, options trader and poker player.

I’ve always liked the name Rose because it reminds me of one of my favorite flowers – roses. Roses are beautiful, steady, resilient and strong. Rose Casanova embodies those qualities and I am grateful our life paths connected. With no further ado, meet Rose and do enjoy her piece. As always, your comments and feedback are appreciated. Thank you!

‘‘Nor shall derision prove powerful against those who listen to humanity or those who follow in the footsteps of divinity, for they shall live forever. Forever.’’ Kahlil Gibran

Schmoozing: Rose and Family Cat

Foundation Questions:

Tell us a bit on your background: Who are you? Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
My name is Rose Casanova. I grew up and lived most of my life in Chicago, IL. I have also lived, for short periods, in L.A., Miami, and Detroit. I just moved to Brooklyn, NY two months ago.

What do you do for a living?
I am currently unemployed, which is fine for now. I have worked as a bartender, personal assistant, options trader and poker player. Right now I am throwing myself into my writing, which is what I’ve wanted to do since I started writing as a child. I never had the time, or structured my life around this goal.

Why did you choose the path you now follow?
I was in a long-distance relationship with John for the past year and we decided to take the relationship to the next level. So I moved to New York, became unemployed and started to build myself around my writing.

When did you decide to make key changes in your life?
I started to make key changes in my life shortly after Hurricane Katrina. That event had a huge impact on me. It made me realize just how vulnerable we all are. I was in an unhealthy relationship with a man and I ended that relationship and began the reinventing process post-Katrina. It took a long time to recover from that relationship. I was able to move on and fall in love again with life.

Share your world view: How do you live your life and manage your household?
I believe that everyone I encounter has a story, whether they are on-line or face to face. I pay attention to the beings around me. You never know what one has to offer until you listen to their story. I make it a point to listen.

‘‘Without the strength to endure the crisis, one will not see the opportunity within. It is within the process of endurance that opportunity reveals itself.’’ Chin-Ning Chu

Amazing Rose: Spectacular Image of the Sun

Reflective Questions:

What do you consider the most important thing about yourself?
I’ve had a difficult life so my ability to laugh at the absurdity of it all is probably the most important thing about myself.

What motivates you to get out of bed?
First my cats wake me up, and then the coffee pot. Everyday it’s something different, but for the most part it’s the little things that motivate me to get out of bed.

What makes you happy/laugh?
My pets never fail to make me laugh. The people I’m close to like John, my sisters and my nieces seem to keep life filled with smiles and laughter. It’s the little day to day things that make me smile.

What makes you sad/mad?
Cruelty to animals and children

‘‘Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.’’ John Wooden“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.” Lao Tzu

In Sepia: A special and defiant Rose...

What would you do differently with your life if you had the power? With the world if you had the choice?
I would have not been so self-destructive, that would have saved me a lot of time to devote to things outside myself.

What guiding principle(s) do you follow to make your life meaningful?
I think that staying true to myself makes my life most meaningful. If I’m not true to myself, I find that I’m living a lie which is no way to live.

What word(s) of advice would you give to others today?
Nothing is ever revealed at face value. Always search out the truth.

How would you like to be remembered? Just for being Rose. I’m a unique individual and I think that’s enough.

Happiness is ..?
KNOWING

Rose recently moved from Chicago to New York to be with her boyfriend John; they live in the wonderfully historic borough of Brooklyn. She is a writer and spends her free time honing her craft and exploring all that the city has to offer. You may follow her @RoseCasanova on Twitter and at her blog – What’s your Plaza?Do you have questions or comments for Rose? Do you have a story to share? Share your feedback with us. Thank You!

liked what Rose said about everyone being worth listening to- and that we all have stories… its true… nice to hear her’s.. hope she finds Brooklyn a motivating place for writing- she’s following great writers footsteps there…. nice interview, Elizabeth….

Thanks Richard. Yes there is a lot of writing history here. I was in the Chelsea hotel in Manhattan the other day and I so inspired with all the writers that had lived and died there, such a rich history for one tiny place in the world.

I love Rose’s response to the question ‘how would you like to be remembered?’ We tend to get a little obssessive about our shortcomings, and are get so caught up trying to be smarter, thinner, better,more..that we neglect to celebrate our uniqueness, strengths, blessings et al..a great disservice to our selves..we *are* enough.. As special, as our unique fingerprints. Nice interview, I enjoyed reading it.

I like Rose’s short and sweet answers to the questions. I enjoyed this interview too and that black and white picture is cute. Did the cat move to NY? I want to wish her well as a writer. What kinds of topics will she write about?

Elizabeth you are amazing. Your blog is OUTSTANDING! I love it and I feel inspired, informed and connected to a broader world community every time I read your blog. Thank you for taking the time to interview many wonderful and creative individuals like Rose.

Wow, after 8 comments on this interview/post with Rose, there is not much left for me to say.
All these comments contain things I would have wanted to mention. I love that idea of making it a point to listen. I can so relate to that.

Thank you again Elizabeth for presenting yet another interesting person for your readers to get to know a little bit.
I know for certain that I will be following Rose’s tweets and check out her blog.
It’s great to be able to follow your heart and Rose is doing just that.

Another wonderful interview and interviewee. I love the simplicity of Rose’s answers; clear and beautiful.
Rose, How are you making the transition in NY?
Do you have family and friends in NY? I also wondered about what you enjoy doing outside of writing.
Great post!

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments in support of Rose. She is a talented writer and a humorous lady too. It was wonderful reconnecting with her and we still need to meet in the city for lunch soon.
Cheers,
Eliz

Elizabeth,
Thanks for having and yes we need to meet in the city for lunch. I look forward to it. It was great reconnecting with you and since I am now subscribed to your blog, I won’t miss any posts.
Rose

Rose,
A pleasure to be acquainted with you.
I enjoyed reading your interview. 🙂
It seems we experience similiar paths in our past.
In regards to the self-destruction look at it this way, it made you discover who you are underneath all the layers and was part of the growing process of the internal you.
Staying true to oneself is indeed what makes the world tick, and it’s what we are here to be afterall.
All the best with your writing career, I trust you know what it takes. 🙂
Great blog Elizabeth. 🙂 I found you over at SITS!